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Changing the world one mind at a timeThu, 17 Jan 2019 15:45:36 +0000en-GBhourly1https://mycognition.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cropped-MyCognition_Logo_Square-copy-32x32.pngMyCognitionhttps://mycognition.com
3232Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds Finale – Channel 4https://mycognition.com/blog/old-peoples-home-for-4-year-olds-finale-channel-4/
https://mycognition.com/blog/old-peoples-home-for-4-year-olds-finale-channel-4/#respondMon, 05 Nov 2018 10:59:48 +0000https://mycognition.com/?p=2557Tonight is the last episode of the second season of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed “Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds”. Our NHS approved app, MyCQ, was used to accurately assesses the 5 key cognitive domains; Executive Function, Working Memory, Episodic Memory, Attention, Processing Speed. The app is a Class 1A medical device […]

]]>Tonight is the last episode of the second season of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed “Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds”.

Our NHS approved app, MyCQ, was used to accurately assesses the 5 key cognitive domains; Executive Function, Working Memory, Episodic Memory, Attention, Processing Speed. The app is a Class 1A medical device with around 17,000 user cases from ages six to 102 years old.

The study carried out by the programme shows how sensitive the app is to the changes in cognition of the participants. The app is easy to administer and is suitable to use in any setting that has a mobile connection or WiFi. It is suitable for all ages and groups including family, friends, colleagues, employees, residents, teachers, and school children and college or university students, and many more.

The MyCQ app links to the training game AquaSnap providing personalised and targeted training to all domains, but with more intensity where there is most need of development. Tune in Monday night to catch the final episode or catch up on All4 to see all the episodes.

We will all spend a significant amount of time in our lives in meetings. Whether you’re a banker, teacher, engineer, carpet cleaner, handmade free-range sausage maker… we will all have to spend at least some time in meetings.

Even Olympic athletes can’t escape it. Granted, they might not be discussing this weeks overheads or Larry’s poor sales performance, but they will spend a lot of time analysing their past performances, perfecting their training schedules, meeting with sponsors etc.

Now, the average employee spends 62 hours in meetings each month (source here). That is a substantial amount of time. An absolutely staggering half of these meetings are considered unproductive… that’s a whopping 31 unproductive hours each month!!

This is where our healthy habit #5 can help. Run speed meetings.

By running speed meetings we are able to increase our efficiency and minimise these unproductive hours all whilst training our cognition at the same time.

By condensing down these meetings, we put more pressure on our processing speed. This is one of the key domains of cognition covers the speed and accuracy of you to process data and other information.

Speed meetings are extremely easy to implement in to any sector be it business, education, healthcare . All you have to do, is to start by cutting the length of your meetings by 10%.

So 30-minute meetings become 27-minute meetings. 60-minute meetings become 54-minute meetings and so on and so forth.

This doesn’t seem like much time at all, it’s not. But what’s 10% of 62 hours? Yep… that’s 6.2 hours of your life back every month! That’s loads!!!

Imagine when you get the hang of speed meetings and start to cut them down by 20%? You’ll be getting 12.4 hours of extra time each month!!! Think how much more you would be able to get done!

Another form of speed meetings is walking meetings (previously mentioned in habit #2). This is where you take your one-to-one meetings with a colleague or manager and just go for a walk. You will find that people listen more intently as they lack the ability to take notes (well at least I can’t).

So, pick your choice and make speed meetings a part of your working life – there’s no reason not to.

Here at MyCognition, we are big fans of walking meetings. Is it because where we are situated means we are able to wander around outside the Gherkin in the sunshine? Or is it because we all share a burning passion for being efficient and improving our processing speed? I think it’s a bit of both.

]]>https://mycognition.com/blog/healthy-habit-5-run-speed-meetings/feed/0Healthy Habit #6: Get Organisedhttps://mycognition.com/blog/healthy-habit-6-get-organised/
https://mycognition.com/blog/healthy-habit-6-get-organised/#respondMon, 19 Sep 2016 12:28:30 +0000https://mycognition.com//?p=77We are taught from a very early age the value of being organised. It is an important...

We are taught from a very early age the value of being organised. It is an important skill that ties into almost every aspect of our lives.

Now, whilst some people are naturally more organised than others (and we all go about organising ourselves in many different ways) – organisation is still an easy area for anyone to improve on.

Healthy habit #6 is to get organised. We will start showing you how to organise your thoughts and what a substantial affect this can have on your working memory.

Organising your thoughts can help you use your working memory to the absolute maximum.

The simplest way is to start by breaking things down. Take a complex problem – if you reduce it down into its constituent parts and assess each one in time, it becomes much easier to work through.

If you have to handle a lot of complex procedures at work then use the age-old reliable method of creating a checklist. Checklists are used for airline pilots, astronauts and other critical rolls and they allow you to work through whatever the task maybe, in a structured and methodical way.

Don’t just organise your thoughts – organise your workspace. My grandma always told me ‘a tidy room is tidy mind’ – and she wasn’t wrong. An organised workspace may actually help to improve cognitive skills by removing any potential distractions. You can even go a step further and utilise any empty desk space to your advantage. Use creative diagrams and visually project whatever you are working on. This can really help to stimulate the mind.

Finally, your organisation doesn’t have to be limited to your work. For example, mentally rehearse the most efficient route around the supermarket and visualise the items that you wish to buy. Then when you are next in the supermarket, you’ll find your memory is prompted!

Here at MyCognition, organisation is key. We keep desk clutter to a minimum and we all have access to each other’s calendars so we are able to organise and structure our week’s in a way that is efficient and works for everyone.

How do you keep organised? Let us know below or join in the chat online using #50HealthyHabits

Regular, not occasional, physical exercise should be something we all aspire to incorporate into our daily lives. Whether it’s going for a run, standing at your desk in the office, or even getting off the train a stop early and walking the rest of the way – It all helps to make a difference.

By doing any form of exercise, you start to improve the health of your heart… and your heart plays a key role when it comes to keeping your mind sharp. In fact, new research has revealed that a healthy heart protects the brain from age-related decline.

In a study at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, which followed more than 1,000 individuals for six years, seniors with exceptional heart health showed considerably faster brain processing speed and experienced significantly less cognitive decline.

A key goal for those involved in the trial was to aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. Those who stuck to the exercise goal were more likely to maintain healthy brain-processing speed.

Now we don’t need to tell you that exercise is good for your health – You already know that. We just wanted to remind you of how much regular exercise can positively affect your cognition.

Here at MyCognition, as part of our weekly team meetings, we all have to set one personal goal. This week, more than half the team’s goal was fitness-related (e.g. go to the gym 3 times a week). Putting these goals out there to your colleagues, friends or families is a great way to make sure you follow through on them.

How are you keeping fit? Comment below or join in the chat online using #50HealthyHabits.